


Undertow

by neverwinter (KingPreussen)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Organized Crime, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Spoilers, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Child Abuse, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-12-27 07:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12075996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingPreussen/pseuds/neverwinter
Summary: There isn't much that can shake Taako's confidence when it comes to his job. Magnus and Merle disagree, of course, but Taako is a picture of levelheadedness while they kill and steal and run and run and run.In this case, shaken confidence is the difference between life and death. Lucky Taako lives like he's dying anyway.





	1. Queens, 2017

**Author's Note:**

> im super excited to share this one with you all
> 
> expect one chapter per week (probably not on tuesdays though), and the chapters will usually be longer than this one
> 
> i hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as im enjoying writing it : )
> 
> (ps im going to come through and edit chapter one pretty soon i just need a moment to sit down and do it)
> 
> (pps the title is from a song in splatoon 2. i might change it later but i like it for now)

The first crack of thunder arrived loud and sudden, startling even Taako. He managed not to drop his beer by sheer luck, but he quickly set it down anyway, his first thoughts going to Angus upstairs. "You alright?" Magnus asked while he jumped up and adjusted his skirt as he left the large wooden dining table. Neither Lup nor Merle looked up, still arguing (maybe good-naturedly, but it was hard to tell with the two of them) and Barry was attempting to mediate to no avail.

"Fine, dude, just checking on the boy," Taako replied lowly. Magnus nodded at him, turning back to the other three, and Taako quietly left the bright dining room. The hallway and adjoining living room was dark in deference to Angus' need to sleep but Taako turned table lamps on as he went--the storm meant that Angus would be awake for the time being and darkness would only make his insomnia worse.

Taako took the stairs two at a time and opened the first door on the left without knocking, unsurprised to see Angus sitting up in the dark, one side of his face thrown into sharp relief by the lightning flashing through the window. "There you are," Taako said soothingly, coming to sit beside the boy and wrap him in a tight hug. Luckily he arrived before the tears started and with the right touch maybe he could prevent them altogether. "You wanna come downstairs with me? We're just talking but you can listen in."

Angus swallowed hard and exhaled heavily into Taako's shoulder. "Do you know how long--" He was interrupted by another deafening thunderclap that made him whimper and begin to shake, clinging to Taako's sweater like a lifeline.

"How long the storm's gonna last?" Taako finished for him. He only carried a burner phone on him that didn't track his location so he couldn't check the weather, but Angus wasn't looking for facts, only reassurance. "It came in quick, so probably only a few hours. If you fall back asleep I'll put you down in my room, okay?"

Taako waited for Angus to nod in confirmation before he slid off of the bed, gently extricating the kid from his mound of blankets and propping him up on his hip; after a moment of thought he snagged one of the smaller blankets and wrapped it around Angus' shoulders. He went downstairs much more carefully, making a beeline for the kitchen to fix the two of them something hot to drink. 

The storm was a bit muffled in the room, probably because of the relative lack of windows. There was a wide skylight made of thick glass over the center island where Taako placed Angus to wait but the kitchen lights kept the intermittent lightening from being too bright or startling. "I don't want to interrupt," Angus rasped from behind him as Taako began heating milk in a pot, taking down cinnamon and chocolate from the pantry.

After setting the pot on low, Taako turned around and leaned against the island, taking one of Angus' hands in his. "You won't be. You know how they get, they're probably still shouting at each other instead of making an actual plan."

"Weapons drop?"

Hearing that phrase in Angus' childish voice made something vital tug in Taako's heart. Whatever temporary detachment he was feeling just then, like maybe he was just a civilian guy making sure his kid wasn't too afraid of a storm, was replaced by the knowledge that Angus knew far more about the world than any young person really should. Something of what he was thinking showed in his face, by the way Angus' curious expression shuttered and he wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders. "Sorry," he whispered, even going so far as to extricate his hand from Taako's.

"No, don't be, pumpkin." Taako shifted even closer and kissed the top of Angus' head. "I'm just out of it, need a little sleep and I'll be fine. It's not a drop or a pickup, actually, but we will be in contact with our usual suppliers and waiting on their word to move. We don't have a cache right now." Angus leaned into him, nodding slowly. "Don't worry about it though. Worry about not drinking your hot chocolate too fast." He gently dug his fingers into Angus' side and wiggled them until he laughed and squirmed away like a kid his age was supposed to. 

"I know I can't really help and I'm a liability but--"

Taako was already shaking his head. "Boychik, you're wrong on both counts. You help me with all sorts of chores around the house and keep me sane when I'm feeling like shit just by being yourself. And you're not some merc who has the chance of turning on us. 'Liability' is so far from your status." Taako had turned away to continue working on their hot chocolate but was still speaking quietly as he stirred. "You're my kid. I only do this shit 'cause I know it helps you live a better life."

Angus audibly shifted the blanket; when Taako turned back, it was hooded over his head, casting a shadow over his downturned eyes. "Sometimes you seem sad, though," he murmured. "Like just now."

Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. Taako set his spoon down and crossed the short space between stove and island to step right in front of Angus, lifting his head with a gentle hand on his cheek. "I'm only worried about _you_ ," he replied in the same soft tone, "But I would be worried about you even if I worked a regular job that stayed within the law and paid taxes and everything. It's not something you can change."

To his credit, Angus just nodded again.

"No more business for now. Let me get you a mug."

Angus had to walk ahead of Taako for the latter to be able to carry their drinks, which he did with surprising confidence, containing the urge to jump at the next few thunderclaps. He climbed into the seat to the left of Taako's previously vacated one and accepted his drink with a polite nod.

Barry, who was never really comfortable with Angus attending any meetings, shot Taako a glance. Taako looked cooly back, picking up his beer again and taking a pointed sip. "What'd I miss?" he asked to the rest of the room.

"A call," Lup replied, sliding her phone toward Taako so he could see the number. He didn't recognize it right off the bat but just looked back at his sister and waited for her to explain. "We'll be in the action this time. They need a runner."

Taako's attention was briefly drawn to Angus, who had given up the confident pretense and was climbing into Taako's lap, but he processed the information without any outward panic. He ran, it was what he was good at; "in the action" usually meant a firefight and while he hadn't been shot yet he wasn't eager to experience it. "They have a car?"

"Yep. Ready and waiting, too, from what my contact said." Taako tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he re-read the number from Lup's phone, attempting to memorize it. "We'll need to get going the morning after next, on Friday, two am." She pursed her lips and leaned back with her arms crossed. "I don't like working for other people."

"Me either," Taako, Merle, and Magnus replied at the same time.

Barry adjusted his glasses in an obviously nervous gesture and shuffled his hard copy papers in front of him. For all he disapproved of Angus hearing sensitive information, he left a paper trail a mile wide. "Can you run, Taako?" he asked seriously. Again, his eyes flicked over to Angus. "I'll be providing your weapons."

Taako didn't trust easy—none of them did, it was part of the job—but he took Barry at his word. "I'll run, yeah. Get me a G18 and a FAL. Lup, wanna come with?"

Lup grinned over at him. "Sure. SMG would do nicely. After this, we _gotta_ get back into controlling things."

"We're not mercenaries," Taako continued with a nod. Angus leaned his head back against Taako's chest, his little hands still wrapped around his hot chocolate, which Taako kept an eye on in case Angus fell asleep and potentially dropped it. "The money is nice but the lack of security isn't." His statement triggered a thought. "Safe house?"

"Location will be provided," Barry replied.

"And kiddo?" Taako pressed. 

Magnus cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "Since you're running, I'll take him to the house. We'll get there after you do if you get tailed."

Taako's determination to see this through and then never do it again made him almost nauseous with it's intensity. He couldn't even make a threat to any of their persons over Angus' safety because he didn't dare think of anything bad happening. "Sounds like it's all planned out until then, huh?"

"Me, you, and Merle will meet tomorrow at noon," Magnus said. "Well, today, really. We have to do... that thing."

 _That thing_ was a lowkey, private ammo run that would only suffer from too many hands. Taako nodded and sent Merle an exaggerated wink that made Barry huff in frustration. "As long as you don't die during whatever 'that thing' is," he warned.

Taako was already prying Angus' half-empty mug from his hands and putting it on the table, preparing to take him back upstairs and read him to sleep. "When have I ever died?" Taako asked dryly. Lup made an overdramatically hesitant sound and Taako resisted the urge to throw something at her. Instead, he lifted Angus onto his hip. "Y'all worry too much. I'll see you tomorrow."


	2. Queens, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Angles, I need you to do me a huge favor today," Taako said seriously as he dug into breakfast, watching Angus immediately stand taller and nod at him, ready to listen. "The THB has a solo mish this afternoon. You're gonna have to hold down the fort, make sure everything's still running smoothly, because we all know Barry can't run shit for shit."_
> 
> _Angus smothered a laugh with his hands but didn't interrupt._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the positive responses! im going to try for uploading every sunday evening so i have the weekend for proofing
> 
> i hope you like this chapter just as much, even though its mostly more exposition. the action is coming soon though

After putting Angus to bed, in Taako's room as promised, Taako was intercepted by his sister on the way to the bathroom. The storm was picking up massively, the sound of rain pelting the roof almost loud enough to drown out the more frequent rumbles of thunder. Taako's bedroom was made more soundproof than Angus' but he was still praying Angus wouldn't wake up again.

"Lup?" he asked when she grabbed his elbow, knocking him out of his thoughts. She sent him a pointed look and he shut up and followed her into her own room without protest.

Lup pushed him onto the bed, and then closed the door, coming to sit next to him with their heads close together like they used to do as kids. "You really okay with the run?" she asked, and it was a measure of how much he loved her that he visibly relaxed, leaning so close their thighs were pressed together. "You looked like you were gonna vomit, dude."

Lightning struck and lit her worried face in the otherwise dim room. "I… got a gut feeling. Not about the run, I don't think… something feels off, though."

Trusting their instincts had gotten them far when it was just the two of them. Deals they made or didn't make could depend on Lup's first impression of the person hiring, or Taako shaking their hand and not getting a good feeling. He knew Lup wasn't going to brush off his concern just because it was unfounded but that didn't keep him from feeling almost childish voicing it.

"If it's not the run, then we'll do the run." Lup searched his face for a moment, and then kissed his forehead like he did so much for Angus. He closed his eyes, comforted. "I'll keep an eye out though. First sign of trouble and we'll be gone."

Sometimes thinking about the fact that their little family didn't have a permanent home to speak of made Taako feel a little sad. Angus had moved more than twice as many times as his age, never complaining or comparing one home to the other, just taking it all at face value. At least he wasn't enrolled in school--Taako couldn't imagine the nightmare caused by transferring him so much. This little two story home had been their base for over six months, honestly a record for them, but being still made Barry and Davenport anxious. Their house would be a thing of the past in two or three weeks, tops.

Taako still had his eyes closed when she pulled away. "Thank you," he murmured honestly.

Lup touched his shoulder, the familiar weight of her hand keeping him grounded. "No problem, little bro. Get some sleep, okay?" He nodded and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands; she allowed him to stay until he felt he could leave.

* * *

Taako couldn't imagine keeping a gun under his pillow like his more paranoid colleagues. He was constantly awoken by small sounds like the house shifting, or wind battering the windows, or little feet moving about his bedroom. If that wasn't deterrent enough, more often than not Angus ended up in his bed at some point in the night. Even entertaining the thought was an accident waiting to happen. 

A thump and tiny pseudo-expletive had Taako waking up with a smile. He could tell it was a godly hour because the sun was lighting the room even through his eyelids, but he waited with the blankets pulled up to his chin for whatever mysteries Angus was solving that morning to be revealed to him.

More soft steps, and then there was a tug at his blanket. "Taako?" Angus whispered from his bedside.

Said man opened one eye and made a curious noise. "Ango?" he asked in reply.

Angus smiled at him, wild curls backlit bronze and steel by the early morning sunlight; the rain from the night before must have thankfully cleared out. "Made you breakfast," he said softly, but matter-of-factly. "It was too heavy for me to bring upstairs." He leaned forward and frowned while studying Taako's face with the same scrutiny that Lup had. "Are you still tired?"

"You sayin' I look tired?" Taako teased. Angus stuck his tongue out and Taako gasped in mock offense. "I'll be right down," he said while reaching out and ruffling Angus' hair. "Don't let those pigeons we live with pick at my food!" Angus scampered off, leaving Taako to gather enough energy to get out of bed and get dressed. He swapped out his pajamas for a sundress pulled over his head, braided his hair over his shoulder, and deemed himself presentable enough to go eat.

By the time he got downstairs, Magnus was attempting to beg pancakes off of Angus, who defended them with an honorable steadfastness. "I can make you some too, Magnus, but these are for Taako!" he diplomatically suggested.

"But they'll taste better if they're not mine!" Magnus whined, something Taako whole-heartedly agreed with.

"Back off, homie." Taako hip-checked Magnus on his way past and took his plate. "Angles, I need you to do me a huge favor today," he said seriously as he dug into breakfast, watching Angus immediately stand taller and nod at him, ready to listen. "The THB has a solo mish this afternoon. You're gonna have to hold down the fort, make sure everything's still running smoothly, because we all know Barry can't run shit for shit."

Angus smothered a laugh with his hands but didn't interrupt. Taako shoved another forkful of pancake into his mouth and winked. "You're not to touch any weapons, though, got it? Push comes to shove I want you to hide."

"Aunt Lup hasn't taken me out to the range yet anyway." It would have been a complaint if Angus _ever_ complained, but instead it was only an observation. Lup had promised to bring Angus out to a private gun range as soon as he could withstand the kickback and Taako knew he was waiting for that day with baited breath. "I know all the hiding places you showed me. I'm just going to do my math workbook today."

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for Taako to be almost anywhere without his kid, but he wasn't any more confident to do it today as he was the first time it happened. Angus was only five (or thereabouts) when Taako first became sort of a parental figure to him; his being almost eight did nothing to lessen Taako's worry. "You're a good kid," Taako murmured, watching Angus' ears turn bright red with a satisfied smirk.

Lucretia, their information expert who had been feeling under the weather for the past few days, finally made her way downstairs and began methodically making tea for herself. Taako's eyes followed her path back and forth through the kitchen.

"Does Aunt Lup know you're down here?" Angus asked before Taako could, coming up beside Lucretia and hugging her gently around the waist.

Lucretia rolled her eyes even as she leaned down and kissed Angus on the top of his head. "I'm not an invalid, Angus, and she's not my keeper. I can come downstairs whenever I want." The doubtful expression Angus had made Taako laugh aloud.

"I just want you to get better quicker," Angus explained in a low voice; Lucretia had one arm around his shoulders and used her other hand to smooth his hair back and away from his forehead.

"I'm better, I promise. I'm just getting something to drink and then I'm going right back to bed." Angus slowly extricated himself and took it upon himself to grab her a mug and open the cabinet that was absolutely filled to the brim with different boxes and bags of tea. He couldn't reach it at all, and was already eyeing the stepstool to drag it over, but Taako put his empty plate down on the counter and lifted Angus closer himself.

Magnus, who had wisely left the kitchen after Taako started in on his god—or Angus—given pancakes, returned looking oddly serious. Taako set Angus back on the floor to hand Lucretia her tea and tilted his head curiously. Magnus silently beckoned him into the other room and he followed, the same bad feeling from the night before building in his chest.

He had to wait until they were in the spacious, wood paneled front room with an already waiting Merle to get any information, but he tamped his impatience down and sat next to the shorter man quickly. Magnus took a deep breath before saying, "Our connection got taken out. TSF found him in their territory, a couple gut shots to make him bleed out and that's it. No evidence on him and his shit was stolen already."

Taako's blood ran cold. "The pickup?" he asked in a whisper.

"We're going through with it. From what I know, they haven't found his stash, just him."

"But they were definitely going for it," said Merle, eyes narrowed. Taako nodded in agreement—gut shots were a punishment. His murder wasn't chance.

After a moment, Taako cleared his throat and asked, "So, a sneaky one?" Magnus chuckled despite himself and Taako relaxed fractionally. "In and out. At least we don't have to pay." Taako was beyond feeling bad for other criminals getting killed, especially when they had things he needed and could now pick up for cheap, or _free_.

Merle clapped his hands and rubbed his palms together. "Hopefully that means it will move quicker. I never liked him anyway."

Taako forced a smile but he could tell it wasn't reaching his eyes. "You don't even remember his name, do you?" When Merle made a show of thinking Taako just pushed his shoulder and shook his head, amused.

Someone tapped at the doorway across from them. Taako glanced up, already glaring at whoever was interrupting them, but it was just Angus, just barely peeking into the room. "Hello, sirs," he said without making a movement toward them. "I just need to give Taako his phone...."

Curious, Taako reached a hand out. "C'mere, pumpkin. Hand it over." To be honest, he hadn't realized he left it upstairs when he came down for breakfast. Usually he kept it with him for contacts, who were liable to call at all hours. Most people didn't like to be kept waiting, and to be honest, he didn't either.

Angus gingerly placed the phone in Taako's outstretched palm and Magnus pulled him up onto the adjacent chair where he was sitting. Taako tilted his head at the phone and unlocked it, dialing the number for his voicemail. "Just a moment," he told the other three, but only Angus nodded, mouth pressed in a thin line.

" _It's Killian. Burner phone. Call me back in three hours._ " The message ended there, but as far as Taako could tell, it _was_ Killian's voice speaking. Why he couldn't call back immediately he had no clue. He checked when the call came through again, and it was only five minutes ago.

Taako locked his phone. "Thanks, Angles." He decided not to share the contents of the message with his companions if only so they weren't burdened by more worries. Killian hadn't mentioned them, anyway, and the fewer people were aware of anything in their business, the better.

The only problem was how nervous Angus looked. Taako, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, frowned and studied him. "Angus?" he asked.

Angus shook his head. "It's nothing, sir. Taako."

The slip was loud in the otherwise quiet room. Magnus abruptly stood up, saying something about showing Merle a new pistol he had picked up, and Merle went along with the obvious fiction. Taako waited until the two of them were alone to shift closer, but he stopped short when Angus moved away. He took a deep breath, during which Angus looked halfway to terrified, and asked, "Are you okay, bubeleh?"

"I'm fine. Can I go to my room?"

"No." Taako had never taken any hard lines with Angus, preferring to let him do whatever he pleased while keeping him safe from the background, but as far as he knew Angus had never been afraid of him. "Why are you so anxious? Did something happen?" He reached out again, watching Angus follow his hand with his eyes, until he decided touching him was more stress than it was worth and rested it on the couch cushion. "You know I would _never_ hurt you, right Angus?"

Angus' eyes began to fill with tears and he nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. Taako waited a few moments to see if he would say anything but Angus kept worryingly quiet.

"When we were talking out here, did something make you nervous? You went upstairs, right? Did you hear Barry or Lup talking about something scary? Are you nervous because of my phone call?" Angus began to cry at that, shaking silently without taking his eyes off of Taako's hand. "Oh baby, it's okay that I missed it. There was a message." He paused. "Do you want to hear it? Will that make you feel better?"

"No, sir." Angus couldn't hide a sob, then, and that was Taako's last straw. Whenever Angus was upset Taako felt sick to his stomach and twice in 24 hours was an unreasonable amount of pain that would probably send him to an early grave.

Being physically affectionate was a recent development between the two of them but Angus seemed a lot happier for it and Taako found he even _liked_ it most of the time. With that in mind, Taako stood up and snatched Angus up into his arms before he could move away. Angus didn't fight him, instead wrapping his arms around Taako's neck and crying into his bare shoulder. Taako shushed him and rubbed up and down his back, at a loss.

"Maybe you can't tell me what's wrong right now," he began softly, "But I don't want you to feel like this, okay? If something's hurting you I can help."

Lup appeared in Taako's peripheral vision and he sent her a pleading look, which made her come closer without hesitation.

"What's wrong with my favorite peanut?" Lup asked, confusion written all over her face. Taako just shrugged slightly, unable to give her any answers, so she wrapped her arms around the two of them and kissed the back of Angus' head. "You wanna come with Auntie Lup and get some groceries for dinner, baby?"

There was no response. Angus seemed determined to cry himself out in a way he hadn't since they first brought him into their family, unwilling to explain what was... scaring him? Stressing him out? Making him generally uncomfortable? The three of them stood in silence for a little while until Angus' tears slowed from _panic attack_ to _upset child_ and then Lup transferred him into her arms. He seemed reluctant to leave Taako but that was the first normal thing he'd done since coming into the sitting room.

Lup murmured something comforting to him as she walked out, her curtain of curly blonde hair keeping Taako from seeing Angus' response, if he had one. Taako was left standing in the middle of the room, feeling like his world was collapsing on all sides.


	3. The Bronx, 2012

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"What's this job? Smash 'n' grab?"_
> 
> _He felt Lup nodding against him. "A small-time bank. They're getting a pretty big shipment of cash soon and we plan to be there before too many people make withdrawals. You're," Lup continued with a subtle squeeze, "cover fire and I'm the one who's supposed to open the vault."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter requires explanation
> 
> the short one is this: this chapter takes place in the past, as im going to keep indicating in the chapter title. taako and lup are in their very early 20s
> 
> long explanation in the end notes
> 
> i hope you enjoy

For such a small, shitty apartment, Lup and Taako's home base had really nice lighting. Taako leaned over the heater to look out the huge window that gave a bird's eye view of most of the city, his hands in his pockets for warmth. Winter in New York was no joke.  
   
He should have been used to it. Living in the city his whole life didn't give him any special cold-resistance like other New Yorkers liked to brag. In fact, from the few times he'd traveled west or south for work, he'd say he liked the heat a lot better.  
   
Taako's skillset came about entirely by accident. There was no childhood mentor discovering he was a crack shot, or the opportunity to prove his worth and gain a real family for it. Lup was separated from him in Northern New Jersey when they were just barely ten, taken with an aunt who believed Taako was corrupting her into being a girl. Taako was left behind to live on the streets, but he didn't dare assume Lup had the better end of the bargain.

They were never coddled, or even treated right, during their boarding with different family members and complete strangers. It was hardly a struggle to get used to not being cared for; the only thing that left a ragged, gaping hole in his heart was the loss of his sister. Taako became adept at finding food and shelter on his own. He even found a job across the GW that was willing to hire an eleven year old who lied about his age and he worked for a living wage for a few years.

Taako was only seventeen the first time he held a gun. He was walking home from work, admittedly using questionable routes to move through the city quicker, and almost got mugged by some opportunist. Taako was small but willing to fight, wrenching the man's pistol from him and using it to bash in his skull. Three blocks away the man's presumed partner flashed a knife and Taako reacted on instinct, making a kill shot through a haze of pain.  
   
Through pure chance a Family member saw everything go down and suddenly (a complete fog in Taako's memory) he was contracted to the mob. They bought him a rifle and a cheap apartment and told him to have at it. Three kills later and Taako wasn't feeling so queasy at the loss of human life, and ten perfect shots after that the mob promised to contact him if they needed him but essentially let him off his barely-there leash. It was a lucky break and he knew it--some people left the mob in a body bag; most of them had no identifiable parts left.  
   
Sometimes Taako got a little nervous at what he was becoming. It was only three years post mob control now, and he had made more kills than anyone random serial killer. Only the fact that he did it for money and not pleasure made him feel any better about the situation. Sometimes he felt positively apathetic about shooting a target (or a cop) right between the eyes. Those were the good days.  
   
The front door opened and closed behind him but he didn't turn to look at whoever entered, confident no one would be stupid enough to break into an apartment in the heart of mob territory.  
   
"There a problem?" Lup said from behind him, setting what sounded like plastic bags on the kitchen counter. Taako shook his head, regretfully lifting one hand out of his very warm pocket to adjust a curl that was falling into his eyes. It was a shame the tall, wide window couldn't open at all, he mused. It would make a very good vantage point.  
   
"Mkurugenzi called," Lup continued. The refrigerator and cabinets opened and closed as she put groceries away. "She thought we did so well that first time she wants us to help them again."  
   
"Cool." Lucretia Mkurugenzi, or _the Director_ to most, was a reliable contract holder, willing to work within most mercs' limitations and preferred jobs. The two of them had only worked with her once, but that one time had gone spectacularly well with no injury to her one-timers or even civilian collateral. Taako didn't have a reason to have a problem with her and it was much better to work with a tried and true crime lord than an upstart or someone who would abuse their contractors.  
   
Taako finally turned, his sharp eyes following Lup's comfortable, familiar movements in the small kitchen.  
   
His sister caught his gaze, grinned, and beckoned him over. "What did you do this morning?" she asked softly, bumping his hip with hers in a playful way. "Play more Portal?"  
   
Confident it wasn't supposed to be a jab, Taako just murmured, "Nah, waiting for you to come home." He didn't let her move far away, wrapping his arm around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's this job? Smash 'n' grab?"  
   
He felt Lup nodding against him. "A small-time bank. They're getting a pretty big shipment of cash soon and we plan to be there before too many people make withdrawals. You're," Lup continued with a subtle squeeze, "cover fire and I'm the one who's supposed to open the vault." Taako's fingers tightened around her hip. The last time they had done a bank heist, admittedly not with Lucretia's wild but ultimately successful planning, Lup was almost arrested and Taako got a concussion.  
   
"We're both gonna be on the next roof over, I promise," Lup said, placating. "I just have to rig the explosives and then I'm done."  
   
Lup's story was similar to Taako's, which was how they were able to find each other again. Instead of moving to the city, Lup remained in New Jersey, trying her hand at Italian mob work from sixteen years old. From what Taako gathered, since Lup still worried about "burdening" him with her trauma, the next member of their extended family that she got passed to already had connections, and Lup showed strategic promise.  
   
She chose demolitions because, in Lup's own words, "The explosions are fucking badass as shit," and there weren't many demolitions experts this side of the Mason-Dixon. She also had a contract with the mob at first, was provided with amazing training, and then was set loose to find her own contracts.  
   
They met while on a job; "What a fucking lucky break," Taako remarked about a year ago, replacing the batteries in his PlayStation controller while Lup catalogued her explosive compounds. Just like almost every job they took as a team, Taako was to take out the primary and secondary targets, and then provide any necessary cover fire. Lup was there to break into shit or break out of shit, depending on the ultimate goal of the job.  
   
Things between them were a bit tense at first, unused to being together again after so long away. But Taako's clingy nature hadn't faded through all those years of minimal contact with other people and soon enough they were sharing everything again. Lup didn't mind Taako's clinginess, instead seeming to welcome it with literal and figurative open arms, and everything else about their sibling relationship just fell into place.  
   
"Hmm." Breaking from his thoughts, Taako tugged at Lup's braid and asked, "When does she need us?"  
   
Lup shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest and balancing her weight against the countertop. "Planning two days from now at some safehouse, and I don't know when we're pulling it off."  
   
"Us, the Director… Highchurch?"  
   
His twin nodded this time. "And Barry," she said, making a face.

Taako grinned and shrugged in commiseration. The first time they worked with the Director they also worked with Barry, a young (younger than _them_ ) hacker with incredible skill but questionable common sense. Although he was freelance and frequently away in Los Santos, all the way across the country, he was the closest person to the Director besides Merle Highchurch. Barry grated on Lup's nerves with his incessant questions, but 1) Lup took out that annoyance on whichever of Taako's video games she could get her hands on and 2) he and Taako had the same observant nature, making him fun to talk to about the technical side of things.  
   
"Good team," Taako said with a nod. "Probably a good take, too."

"I can think of a better take." Lup turned around and rummaged in the remaining grocery bags, then turned back with a large rectangular box in hand. Taako's eyes widened at the 3DS logo and he practically launched himself at her, giggling like a child. He could tell she was rolling her eyes at him but she still hugged him back just as tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont know if you could tell, but i wrote this piece in 2014 so my writing style is a little different (i think it got worse actually T__T). it was written for another fandom but im adjusting all names and some details--the au was also crime, but specifically in the GTA 5 verse, which is why some weapons and ammo physics will be fudged. im also incorporating some details and style into the upcoming chapters because i like what i had done before a lot and its easier to work within GTA rules that im familiar with
> 
> also, if google translate is to be believed, i just made lucretias last name _director_ in swahili for lack of a better idea
> 
> did you like this? let me know!


	4. Queens, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Peanut isn't feeling very well today," Lup said, letting Angus continue to hide his face against her neck. "We're going to get some fresh air, if you're up to it."_
> 
> _Lup could tell Lucretia was trying not to find humor in her statement and utterly failing. "Finally letting me off my short leash, hm?" she asked with a little smile._
> 
> _"If you're still feeling sick I won't hesitate to put you back in bed. Peanut makes a good paperweight, I've heard."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the lateness everyone! i was really struggling with this chapter and didnt want to put out what i had on sunday
> 
> im actually planning to come back to this one before publishing the next chapter, so ill let you know if ive made any major changes
> 
> thanks for reading and i hope you like it

Lucretia was still in the kitchen when Lup walked in with Angus on her hip, nursing her cup of tea and staring into the middle distance. Lup watched her glance over to them and then visibly startle at how hard Angus was crying; it wasn't that he was usually cheerful or even stoic, he just hadn't cried like this since he was practically a baby. 

"Peanut isn't feeling very well today," Lup said, letting Angus continue to hide his face against her neck. "We're going to get some fresh air, if you're up to it." 

Lup could tell Lucretia was trying not to find humor in her statement and utterly failing. "Finally letting me off my short leash, hm?" she asked with a little smile. Her eyes kept flickering to Angus but she didn't make a move to come over and touch him, something she and the rest of the crew had in common. Magnus was the only one besides Taako and Lup who Angus was okay with picking him up at all, so the others tended to wait for Angus to initiate if they were going to make contact with him. 

"If you're still feeling sick I won't hesitate to put you back in bed. Peanut makes a good paperweight, I've heard." Angus sniffled and shook his head but he was beginning to calm down, his breath slowing back to normal patterns. "Speaking of which, I'm taking you up to wash your face, okay Angus?" 

After a moment, Angus moved enough to look somewhere over Lup's shoulder while he spoke to her. "It's my fault," he said in a low voice. "You don't have to take care of me, Aunt Lup. I messed up." 

His blank expression reminded Lup so much of how Taako used to shut down when they were kids that she felt a kind of nostalgic sadness. "Nothing is your fault, peanut, least of all having a little cry. And I'm not really taking care of you, am I? We're just going out for groceries together." She paused, wiping away some of Angus' steadily falling tears with her thumb. "I can also tuck you in to Taako's bed and bring you something to eat, if you want. Whatever you're feeling." 

Angus immediately shook his head. "I have to be useful," he murmured, almost to himself. 

Lup rarely felt this out of her depth. Taako was the twin that was good with children, not her. She loved Angus of course but he and Taako had a much closer relationship. "Malysh…," she sighed lightly. 

Lucretia cut in with a hand on Lup's shoulder. "I'm feeling up to it," she said reassuringly, looking both at Lup and at Angus, which Lup appreciated. "I'll pull the car around while you two get cleaned up." 

Any other time, Lup would have faked offense, but instead she just gave a curt nod and started upstairs for Angus' bathroom. He didn't attempt to slip from her arms and walk himself like he sometimes did. Instead he was still, letting Lup carry him all the way upstairs and set him down on the sink counter. 

"Close your eyes." Angus tilted his head back and obediently closed his eyes while Lup wet a cloth with warm water. 

Lup didn't linger too long, her movements perfunctory but gentle. Angus blinked one eye open to look up at her when she was finished and she grinned at him. After a moment, Angus tentatively smiled back. Lup felt like she had some small victory. 

Angus slid off of the counter and reached for Lup's hand without saying anything. She took it, relieved Angus felt up to holding her hand and leading her back down the stairs. He always watched everyone carefully as they walked down the stairs with him, a remnant of his younger days when _they_ all watched him like a hawk, especially Taako. He was somehow convinced Angus would fall any time he wasn't watching him when their home base had any steps. 

Taako and his other two partners in crime were already gone by the time Angus and Lup got back downstairs. They could hear a car idling out front but it was probably Lucretia waiting for them. Angus must have come to the same conclusion that Lup did, because he tightened his grip on her hand and took a fortifying breath. 

"I actually have another stop for us," Lucretia said from her position leaning against the hood of the car with her arms crossed over her chest. "It might be kind of a long morning. I'm sure that by the time we get back, the three musketeers will be wreaking havoc back in the house." 

Lup opened the back door and helped Angus into his carseat. "So you might wanna take a nap this afternoon, huh Angus? Or do you want to help me make dinner?" She strapped Angus into the seat with the ease of someone who had done it a thousand times, making sure the buckle was snug against his chest. Lucretia, who sat in the front passenger side while Angus got situated, handed him his Kindle out of the glove compartment. 

Angus accepted the tablet with quiet thanks, probably just from instinctual politeness after being handed something rather than really wanting to speak to her. Despite Lup's thorough cleaning, Angus' face was still splotchy and red after crying; right now he seemed close to crying again. He looked up when Lup touched his hair and finally murmured, "I want to help." 

Lup bit her lip for a moment in thought, and then nodded curtly. There wasn't much she would be able to say to Angus that he wasn't already aware of: Taako was safe and would be coming home soon, there wasn't anything to worry about, whatever had upset him before he could talk to her about it, all the same shit she always said. 

"Thanks," she said. She leaned forward and kissed the top of his head, and then shut the door.

* * *

The warehouse their contact directed them to before he died was eerily silent. 

The whole neighborhood was silent. It wasn't residential, of course, mostly populated by small businesses and empty, unrented offices. The street they were waiting on was bare of trees or even grass, just light colored dirt and asphalt and beige sidewalks. A few other warehouses continued up the street to the next intersection, but most of them had their small, high windows boarded up and metal gates covering their doors. 

Taako, his right hand on the steering wheel of a stolen Toyota and his left holding his pistol in his lap, leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at the closed, locked garage door of their target building. "We're gonna have to shoot it open," he said, and then hit 'auto' on the driver side window, prepared to stick his arm out and get it from a distance. 

Magnus grabbed his arm from behind before he could, hissing, "We have to scope it first! We can't just start shooting!" 

"All this from 'Magnus rushes in' himself," Merle said while shaking his head ruefully. 

"Exactly." Taako shrugged Magnus off and aimed his gun out the window again. "I'm just gonna pop the lock and drive away. We'll give it a minute and then come back." He closed one eye and stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth—he was used to a sniper scope, not using his _eyes_ to aim—and managed to crack the center of the lock with one shot. Then he shifted the car into drive and sped away in the opposite direction, leaving a cloud of dirt and dust behind them. 

It was Magnus who decided when they should return from their idling spot a block away. "On foot," he said almost regretfully, already standing outside and tucking his .32 into the back of his jeans. "It wasn't supposed to be a huge pickup, so once we get a look we can pull the car around." 

Taako parked the car and opened his own door, putting one strappy sandaled foot on the dusty asphalt. "You think he was working with anyone? Ol' deadso?" 

While Merle laughed, Magnus put a hand out to chivalrously help Taako out of the car. "Probably not. Like I said, small pickup." 

Taako's dress didn't afford anywhere sneaky for him to put his gun, so he just held it in his right hand angled a bit behind himself, finger safely off the trigger. He lingered behind Merle as he pulled what remained of the lock off of the slatted door, privately proud of how accurate his shot was, and watched the two of them push the door up and open. 

The warehouse was, at first glance, empty. It wasn't large on the inside, certainly not large enough to have any hidden corners. Taako peered around Magnus, who was stalking forward to check a stack of pallets on the far left, and murmured, "Merle, watch the door?" 

When he turned, Merle was already posted up against the wall nearest the entrance, his gun in both hands and aimed at the floor. He nodded when he met Taako's eyes and, not for the first time, Taako was glad that he worked with such reliable people, even if they got on his nerves sometimes. Taako pulled his phone out of the tight ruched top of his dress and checked the time, reminding himself in two and a half hours he would have to call Killian back. Hopefully her cryptic message was just that because she was abstruse all around. 

"There's nothing." Magnus was visibly gritting his teeth, gesturing to the rest of the warehouse with his free hand. "Either that fuck lied to us in the first place, or his stash was taken after all." 

"We need to leave," Taako said, tucking his phone back into his top and clicking the safety off his gun. He was already past Merle and out the door when a shot rang out and he instinctively circled the building for cover. 

A large black van drove past with the windows facing them open, a few masked men leaning out with semi-automatics. Taako studied them as best he could, not bothering to get the license plate of the van—it was likely stolen, or would be destroyed soon. For the second time that day he wished he was up high with his sniper rather than at street level with a pistol. 

The driver of the van shouted something indistinct at the three of them but he was moving too quickly for Taako to make it out. He waited a beat until the van slowed at the end of the street to turn around and then leaned back inside, hissing, "Come on!" at Magnus. 

His two partners followed him out and over the fence around the back (he was much too experienced in jumping fences while wearing a dress), unfortunately in the opposite direction of their hidden car but also down a path the van couldn't follow. Either the gunmen got out and followed on foot, where the THB could pick them off from cover, or they fucked off. Taako ran up to a black four-door sitting among small trucks and vans in a lot and tried the driver's side handle, almost dropping to his knees in relief when it opened instantly. 

"Picks!" He reached out to the both of them and had a wafer lock pick pressed into his hand that he slid into the ignition keyhole and pushed. The car started with no trouble and he couldn't help bouncing in his seat, unlocking the rest of the doors and speeding off as soon as Magnus and Merle were in. 

Taako gunned it for about three miles, sticking to the back roads that generally wound their way in the same direction as the highway, and then took an exit onto the southbound interstate. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding, realized belatedly that he had been driving a stick the whole time, and lifted one hand from the wheel to brush escaped strands of hair out of his face. "Well," he finally said. 

"Either those were the people that killed him, or they were very lucky," Merle said sourly, checking the mirror nearest to him. Taako moved into the far left lane and weaved around slower cars, not looking forward to taking the wrong exit to lose any possible tails but knowing it was necessary. 

"No way that was luck." Magnus turned away, holding his phone to his ear, while Taako found a suitable diversion spot and pulled off the interstate. 

He didn't think it was luck either, truth be told. Someone was expecting that warehouse to be searched. Taako was sure they hadn't revealed themselves to anyone who didn't already know who they were, or had some good idea. He followed the signs for a familiar parkway and tried to think while Magnus held whatever conversation in the backseat. 

Barry and Lucretia would have to know about it. He _so_ wanted to keep it between the three of them but there was no way even Merle would agree to letting a driveby go just because it was supposed to be a small pickup. They would end up leaving their safehouse much earlier than Taako wanted to; he could tell how much Angus loved it and didn't want to leave. 

Taako slumped back in his seat like a puppet whose strings were cut. Angus, who was already feeling like shit over something he thought he couldn't tell Taako about, was in no state to have his life shuffled around. If Taako told Lucretia about this, they would be moving _today_. 

"Fuck this," he said out loud, taking another exit toward a residential road and preparing to get back on the northbound side of the highway.


	5. Queens, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _From what Angus could see out of the opposite window, Lucretia and Merle were staying behind for a while. Barry and Magnus had already left in Magnus' pick up, which left Lup herself, standing outside their car smoking. Angus watched ash build up on the end of her cigarette before she tapped it off, staring at nothing._
> 
> _"Wheels up, baby!" Taako called to her, now leaning over the center console to yell out the open passenger window. "And save me one!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, im having a very busy time right now
> 
> im changing my update schedule to twice monthly on sundays

Angus jerked out of his hazy half-sleep at the sound of a door slamming. Lup and Lucretia had put him to bed immediately after their return home (their worry was making _him_ worried in a nauseating cycle) and insisted he get some rest. Lucretia had even shared her special loose tea that she didn't share with _anyone_.

As far as Angus knew, they were the only three in the house, and neither of them would slam a door while he slept. Not knowing who had arrived made Angus nervous.

When he reached out to grab his glasses from the bedside table, another door slammed downstairs, almost startling Angus into dropping them. Soon there were heavy steps up the stairs that made his breath catch in his throat.

He scrambled off of the bed, haphazardly pulling the sheets and blankets up to make it look less slept in, and slid between the mattress and the far wall to hide underneath. Taako always assured him that nothing could hurt him in any of their safe houses; Angus had lived long enough to know that "safety" wasn't really a thing that could be promised.

Angus held his breath when his own door opened, not violently enough to hit the opposite wall but still sudden. The heavy steps paused near the bed and then a voice said, "Angus?" The fact that the voice was Barry's didn't make Angus any less nervous. He knew the man didn't like him and would prefer Taako put him back on the street, for one, but for two Taako had forbade anyone but himself, his sister, and Lucretia from coming into Angus' room.

If Barry was ignoring that rule, something bad must have happened. Angus wished he had thought to take his cell phone underneath the bed with him.

What little he could see of Barry's shoes changed into pant legs as the man kneeled and Angus felt his heart jump. "Angus, don't make me drag you out," Barry said, annoyed now. Angus whimpered with genuine fear and pressed his back as hard as he could against the wall.

Angus could faintly hear more steps on the stairs through the pounding of his blood in his ears. Then he _definitely_ heard a gun safety click.

"Hey Barry?" Taako asked with a light, almost humorous edge; he was standing at an odd angle that Angus couldn't see his feet from but even the sound of his voice made Angus close his eyes in relief. "Yeah, I'm gonna need you to back up before I put a hole in your head."

"We need to get him out of here so we can go, Taako," Barry said, not moving from his position. He hadn't reached under the bed yet but his hands were on the floor in front of him. "I thought I told you to start packing."

The gun cocked. "I won't tell you again," he said without humor this time.

Barry made a frustrated noise and stood up. "You'd better be ready in an hour or we're leaving you behind." Angus could hear him leave the room and close the door, and then Taako ejected the clip of his gun and went about unloading it and uncocking it. He didn't reach for Angus or ask for him to come out like he knew Angus would still be on edge, which he definitely was.

Eventually Angus climbed out from under the bed on his own, standing on trembling legs with one hand on the mattress. Taako, who had laid his unloaded gun on the bedside table, sent him a small smile. "Come here, bubeleh," he said in a low voice. Angus practically fell into his arms like a toddler who could barely walk and was summarily lifted up so they were face to face. "Ol' Bluejeans really wanted that free lobotomy, hm?" Taako whispered to him with a mischievous expression, only thinly veiling the anger Angus could see underneath.

Although he was glad to see Taako again, Angus was immediately reminded of his breakdown before Taako left. He slid his fingers under his glasses to rub his eyes. "We have to go?" he asked as steadily as he could, but between that morning and Barry just now, stress was already making his eyes sting with tears.

Taako kissed his cheek and hitched him a bit higher. "I'll explain while we're on the move, pumpkin, but the short answer is yes. Can you get all your stuff together and put it neatly on your bed for me? Quick as you can?"

Something made Angus feel that it was his fault they had to leave. Maybe if he had told Taako about the message on his phone.... Angus bit his lip, holding back the urge to spill his secret, and nodded. The fact that he immediately started crying again had no bearing on how fast he could do whatever Taako asked of him.

"Oh don't cry, babydoll, we're gonna be okay!" Taako insisted at the first sign of tears. "Scouts honor, right?" Angus moved one of his hands to Taako's shoulder for balance and tried not to get _more_ upset at the confusion on his face. He seemed torn between setting Angus on his feet and not letting him go, so Angus made the decision for him, moving his legs from around Taako's waist so he had no choice but to help him stand straight.

"I can do it, Taako," he promised, and then turned to his dresser, pulling out piles of neatly folded clothes and setting them on the bed. Taako gently touched his hair one more time before opening the door and closing it behind him, leaving Angus to gather his things.

* * *

They weren't a "normal family" by a long shot, Angus knew, and seeing all of their worldly possessions packed into the back of Taako's four door car just solidified his view every time. He was used to owning next to nothing himself but whenever they moved he somehow forgot how little _Taako_ owned in the way of material things. Most of what they both packed was clothes.

Although Angus was almost eight years old, Taako didn't want him sitting in the front seat of the car. Something about being "small for his age," Taako had explained once, but usually Angus just let himself be strapped into his booster seat and get a tablet or book handed to him. He still laughed whenever Taako put the seatbelt over whatever was next to him, particularly today, when one of his favorite stuffed animals was sitting in the middle seat.

"Enjoy the ride, Voidfish," Taako said while giving said animal a pat on the head, making Angus giggle despite himself. Magnus won him the giant jellyfish in a carnival game some months back and Angus had immediately fallen in love. Lup liked to tie ribbons around the tentacles in elaborate bows.

From what Angus could see out of the opposite window, Lucretia and Merle were staying behind for a while. Barry and Magnus had already left in Magnus' pick up, which left Lup herself, standing outside their car smoking. Angus watched ash build up on the end of her cigarette before she tapped it off, staring at nothing.

"Wheels up, baby!" Taako called to her, now leaning over the center console to yell out the open passenger window. "And save me one!"

Angus could hear her laughter and it helped calm him down a bit. "You shouldn't smoke with your malchik in the car," she chided teasingly as she sat down and closed the door.

"We were around plenty of smokers as kids. It only made us cooler," Taako drawled back, pulling out of the driveway at a good pace and speeding away from the neighborhood like he couldn't wait to leave. Angus would really miss the house but he didn't turn for a last look because that only made it worse, in his experience.

"Okay, baby," Taako said once they were out of the residential zone and onto straighter, longer roads, looking into the rearview mirror back at Angus. "I'll tell you what's up. You're usually way better than Lulu at this but I'm gonna need you to stay calm about it, okay?" Lup smacked Taako on the arm while he snickered and waved her away.

Angus couldn't laugh. He bit at the inside of his mouth and nodded, twisting his hands together nervously. 

Taako glanced at him again. "We're not living with the other four this time," he said more seriously. "I haven't talked to you about this yet, Lup, but Barry is really fucking pissing me off. I found him in Angus' room today."

Lup reached back toward Angus with one hand and Angus took it on reflex. "Why?" was all she said, but she squeezed Angus' hand gently.

"I assume to move him to the next house, but he's _well aware_ that Angus isn't crew property. I found him, I adopted him, he's _mine_." He eased off the gas but Angus could see his knuckles go pale from how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel. "There was a fuck up today. Small pickup job, but the fucking fence got himself killed and there were shooters waiting for us at the spot. Somehow we've been compromised and Barry wanted us out ASAP, which makes sense. What doesn't make sense is him thinking he can put a hand on Angus without me 'putting a hand' on _him_.

"Killian called too. The fence was found by TSF in their territory so she's justifiably pissed off. If whoever killed him did it as a message, they're too close to where we are for me to let it go. All that to say, we're moving to a new place. Down in Brooklyn, you'll like it Angles, there's a big park nearby we can hang out in. Lup, I'd like you to stay with us but it's your choice--"

Lup shook her head, her hand still wrapped around Angus'. "I'll come with you. Shit going south doesn't mean people can start fucking up. I didn't know Barry would… did he hurt you, peanut?"

Angus swallowed hard. "No, he didn't hurt me," he said, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice. "He just scared me. I didn't know what was going on."

Taako, who had been speeding down the left lane for the past few miles, seemed to make a decision. "Lucretia can bring your shit to the apartment, I gave her a key already. Let's stop somewhere for a minute." He looked at Angus as if for confirmation.

When Angus couldn't find what to say, Lup interjected, "We were trying to have a quiet day in after you three left. Angus isn't feeling well."

 _Because it's my fault,_ Angus thought miserably. Someone knew who Taako was, and by extension who Angus was, and he chose to keep the message from Taako's phone quiet because he thought he knew better than Taako. When he was younger he had been beaten for thinking he knew better more times than he could count; apparently he hadn't learned his lesson. 

Taako would be burning his phone within a day and, unless whoever it was got his number again, the secret would die with Angus.

"Just dinner then," Taako was saying, slowing slightly to take an exit. "And then we'll put you up in your new bed."

Lup let go of Angus' hand to type something into her phone and Angus tried not to ask for it back. "Are you okay, Taako?" he asked instead.

"I'm fine, Angus, don't worry about me," Taako said in the soothing voice he usually had when he was reading Angus bedtime stories. "Not a scratch. Magnus and Merle are fine too."

Angus nodded and adjusted his glasses. He desperately wanted to go home but, if he was lucky, they would be on their way again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope parts of this were mysterious and not just _confusing_. what do you think?


	6. The Bronx, 2012

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"We brought you in for the basics," Merle said around a healthy mouthful of alcohol. "You're gonna be out of the place before the cops even think to show up." His gaze flickered to Taako meaningfully, who Lup was trying her hardest not to look over at._
> 
> _"I'm twenty two, dude, not twelve," Taako protested without even looking at him, shooting three crawlers in the forehead with half his attention on the conversation at hand. "I can take care of myself."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another flashback scene
> 
> forgive any errors/misspellings/wrong pronouns/other weird things, im going to edit again tomorrow
> 
> thanks for your support!

"Hi Taako," Barry said with a shy grin, his thin fingers clenching sporadically on the strap of his laptop bag. Taako, Lup, and the aforementioned hacker were standing in one of Lucretia's favored safe houses, waiting for their host to return with Merle, who had been in another city doing some work that Lucretia had not made them privy to. The trip wasn't that far from Taako and Lup's apartment but somehow they had gotten there much earlier than Lucretia was expected to arrive.  
   
"Hi Lup," Barry continued with more trepidation. He was barely able to look Lup in the face without turning a deep shade of red, which Lup couldn't determine was from fear or embarrassment. Taako had a similar aversion to prolonged eye contact, but that was toward people in general, not just those who made him nervous.  
   
"Bluejeans," Taako replied warmly. Maybe they weren't the best of friends after only one job, but Taako was as tactile as they get, so he reached out and pulled Barry into a one-armed hug. Barry stiffened at first until he realized that Taako wasn't posing a threat, and then he hugged the younger man with enthusiasm, both arms around his waist. Lup resisted laughing--it looked like two twigs strapped together with a piece of string, one twig slightly more branch-like than the other.  
   
"What have you been up to?" Taako asked, pulling away to look the taller man up and down with a grin. "Look how much you've grown!"  
   
Barry took a proprietary step back as soon as Taako's arms loosened enough and went back to clutching the strap of his bag, but his answering smile was more comfortable. "You too, Taako. Maybe one day you'll weigh over a hundred pounds."  
   
"It's pure muscle, baby." Taako flexed his nonexistent biceps and Lup barked a laugh, almost dropping Taako's gun case which would have startled Barry even more than Lup's laugh did. "Did Lucretia tell you when she's getting back?"  
   
Lup, content to let them talk shop, went and sat on the plush black couch and leaned her head against the back. She wasn't exactly tired--she tended to sleep no matter what job she was or wasn't on and whatever amount she got was somehow enough. In contrast, _Taako_ tended to live shuffling and moaning like a zombie, sleeping sporadically for ten or twenty minutes during the day and maybe a few hours at night, and waking up more tired than he started.  
   
Right now, Lup was feeling a more bone-deep feeling than exhaustion. Taako was young (yes, they were the same age, but he'd always seemed _younger_ ) and small, as Barry mentioned. Lup didn't usually get sentimental over other mercs or hitmen but she obviously had much more connection to Taako and actually saw the toll this lifestyle took on him up close.  
   
Taako didn't get nightmares because he didn't sleep. He ate when there was food in front of him but seemed to forget when it wasn't. Sometimes he hugged Lup like she was the only thing holding Taako to Earth.  
   
Barry's honest, slightly hysterical giggle snapped Lup out of that line of thought, which she was grateful for. Taako was patting his back sarcastically as Barry leaned forward with his hands on his knees, laptop bag leaning against his leg and the much-worn strap dangling around his wrist as he tried to catch his breath. "You're ok, champ," Taako was saying in his best "Dad voice", a wide smile of his own brightening his features, which had been ashen and drawn before they arrived. The job might cause his discomfort but the distraction also kept it at bay for a while.  
   
"Dude, Lucretia's got an Xbox," Lup called to them both. Unsurprisingly, Taako jumped the back of the couch in his haste to get to Lucretia's machine. Barry approached more sedately, perching on the very edge of the second couch as far away as he could get from Lup. Taako sat in the spot next to Lup, his sister's arm spread right behind his shoulders, and absolutely crowed when he found the batteries in the controller he picked up were charged.  
   
"What do you play?" Barry asked curiously. His laptop was out now, resting on the bag which was in turn resting on the coffee table. Lup could only see his login screen from where he was sitting, and it definitely wasn't a simple Windows passcode prompt. It wasn't that she didn't trust Barry's skill, it was that she didn't trust Barry as a functional adult.  
   
Taako turned to him and Lup could swear his eyes were sparkling with wonder. "Everything," he said breathlessly, and just as Barry made to respond, the front door opened.  
   
Merle stepped in first, closing a black umbrella and shaking it out just outside the doorway. The sound of pounding rain filled the room even louder than the Xbox main screen sound effect. "What's up, dickheads?" he asked almost absently, letting Lucretia in before him and then closing the door again. He locked it while Lucretia hung up their coats.  
   
"Do you guys want coffee or something?" the Director said with almost an opposite inflection, genuinely caring instead of faintly amused. Merle looked over each of them like he was assessing them for injuries, which made Lup a little uncomfortable. She was used to caretaking for Taako even when her brother didn't necessarily want it, but to have it happen to her? It made her feel like a newbie and that wasn't a good feeling.  
   
Taako, having put Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies into the disk tray, shook his head without a reply. Lup was much too comfortable with Taako settled into her side to get her own drink so he took Lucretia up on the offer.  
   
"Can I get some water?" she asked as politely as he could. She caught the tail end of Barry staring at them, connected from shoulder to hip, but the hacker was already turned away by the time Lup processed it. Barry did seem very withdrawn and nonphysical, but Lup didn't think it was to the point that he didn't like to see _other_ people touching.  
   
"Me, too?" Barry said in a small voice. Merle was the one to get the drinks while Lucretia sat down beside him, taking up much the same position as Lup (and a lot of the couch space, but Barry didn't flinch away from _her_ ). Taako gestured to her with a second controller and Lucretia waved it off, but Barry took it instead before Taako could pull back again.  
   
Lup lifted her hand to slide her fingers into Taako's hair, scritching twice against his scalp--Taako stretched his legs in front of him and leaned even more into Lup's side--before settling. "So, a bank job?" she prompted.  
   
Lucretia nodded, turning her eyes away from Barry and Taako's game set up and onto Lup. "Very quick, very simple." Merle came back with Lup and Barry's drinks and elected to lean against the back of the couch with his own glass of dark liquid.  
   
"We brought you in for the basics," he said around a healthy mouthful of alcohol. "You're gonna be out of the place before the cops even think to show up." His gaze flickered to Taako meaningfully, who Lup was trying her hardest not to look over at.  
   
"I'm twenty two, dude, not twelve," Taako protested without even looking at him, shooting three crawlers in the forehead with half his attention on the conversation at hand. "I can take care of myself."  
   
"Uh-huh," Lucretia hummed placatingly. "There will be armored trucks all over the place tomorrow, which means a shitload of cops. That means _Friday_ night we're hitting the vault."  
   
Barry already had a few screens of surveillance footage up on his computer, glancing between them and the television screen. "Passcodes change once a week on Saturdays," he said in a voice much closer to his normal excited and bubbly one. Lup couldn’t help feeling a little hurt that Barry didn't feel comfortable around her, but he pushed it aside. Better Barry watch his back than become too trusting, like a deer so used to being fed by humans that it gets picked off easily by hunters.  
   
"So we have our in. It's just the out that’s the problem." Merle was leaning over the back of the couch now, eyeing Barry's screen. He might not have been the resident hacker of the crew, but he was certainly a Jack of all trades, having enough talent to get the gist of Barry's code and commands.  
   
"Did you get a haircut?" Taako blurted, pausing the game and ignoring Barry's protesting squawk. Lup looked up and sure enough, Merle's normal pony tail was gone, replaced with a rakish sort of short cut that actually better suited his face. "I like it."  
   
Merle frowned a bit and cleared his throat. "Thanks, Taako." There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Taako unpaused the game and the sound of muted gunfire filled the room again. "I can call in a helicopter today if we need it," he said, switching topics back.  
   
Lucretia crossed her arms over her chest. "No, just the regular car. I want Barry here where there's no chance of collateral--" Barry nodded emphatically, his character in the game on the ground shooting with a pistol as Taako revived him, "--and if-- _when_ it all goes according to plan, Taako will be out in his own vehicle going the complete opposite direction of any gunfire."  
   
Lup wasn't too keen on being separated from her partner, but Lucretia knew what she was doing. Plus, if one hair on Taako's head was harmed, she had full permission to take it out on Lucretia, as approved by Merle the last time they worked together.  
   
"So," Lup began into her glass of water, watching the shifting of Taako's expressions over the rim, "where and when should we meet?"  
   
"Barry's sleeping over," Lucretia said in a tone that brooked no argument, not that Barry seemed to be putting up a fight. "We'll all be here and ready by midnight, Friday. Taako, we'll have a bike ready for you and your sniping location. Barry will have set up shop." Downed once again, Barry nodded, sending a grateful smile to Taako when he passed by and revived him. "Lup, we're all meeting back here, so don't worry about your baby brother."  
   
"Fuck you," Taako said on reflex, but he didn't refute Lucretia's statement, twitching his foot where it was pressed against Lup's.  
   
Barry shifted a little so he could see Taako properly around Lucretia. "You wanna stay until this hoard is done?" he offered shyly, trying not to look at Lup.  
   
Taako smiled softly at him like he was a skittish animal. "Of course. After this you can come over and play any time." Barry looked as if he might spontaneously combust with excitement, and even Lup couldn't fault Taako for trying to make friends. The constant fear she felt for Taako didn't abate at all, but at least there was never a deficit of other people to look out for him.  
   
Lucretia stood, shaking out one arm while the other hand rested on her hip. "Merle, Lup, I'll need you two for this part." Lup nodded, shifted away from Taako slightly, and stood as well. Taako reached out briefly to touch her hand and Lup gently squeezed his fingers, then followed Merle and Lucretia to the kitchen island just a few feet and a slight elevation raise away. A map of the city was laid out already, most of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens covered in Sharpie lines and circles.  
   
"We're coming in from the neighboring street to the left," Merle said, tracing a thin line with his finger. "It's us four in the car until here," he tapped a building that was much taller than it was wide, "where Taako gets out. There will be a motorcycle waiting for him on the ground, and a fire escape for him to get up to the roof."  
   
Lup nodded, hands in her pockets. She'd have to show Taako on his own map when they got home--her brother was much better at reading maps than she was. Lup preferred to see the locations with her own eyes and pick up pertinent landmarks from there. "So we're all going in together?"  
   
"Right," Lucretia confirmed with a grin. "Barry's on remotely unlocking the vault room while we're still at the front door. We need you for detonating the actual vault closure."  
   
"You can set up plastics for timed detonation," Merle continued right off of Lucretia, capping and uncapping a pen almost absently. "But we're gonna need you to help carry out the cash." Despite his middle aged, greying around the temples appearance, Merle's grin was just as feral as Lucretia's, if not more.  
   
At least she'd see the take for herself. "Sure. How much are we expecting?" Lup asked, raising her voice over the sound of artificial gunfire in the living room.  
   
Merle shrugged. "Two hundred grand? Like we said, it's a small job."  
   
Five years ago Lup would have balked, but she got at least fifty thousand for each bomb she made and ten thousand extra if she was expected to be there when it went off. Taako was much more expensive, his jobs ranging from a hundred to a hundred and fifty thousand dollars per shot--when he went solo, that was.

They, Taako especially, liked to consider Lucretia a friend after their first success, and Lup almost tried to waive their fee until Lucretia insisted that they take thirty percent. They didn't need Lucretia's money, they needed her support in the middle of her rapidly expanding territory. Since they had that, it made no sense to demand more.  
   
"Okay. Detonation, pack mule, and then we get the fuck out?"  
   
"Exactly."  
   
"Great!" Barry said, having bounced his way over at some point to lean over Merle's shoulder. "What's my cut, Highchurch?"  
   
Merle, who had moved swiftly to save the rest of his whiskey being spilled, shouldered Barry back toward the other end of the island. "Your cut is room and board. And $10."  
   
Barry pouted but his green eyes were still bright with mirth. "How about when I go home? How will I survive?" he crowed. Merle's snarky reply seemed to be caught in his throat and he glanced at Lucretia worriedly. Lup wasn't sure where Barry was living but, vindictively, she didn't think the hacker even had the capability to live on his own. Obviously Merle and Lucretia were unsure about his living situation, or at least sure that they wanted him to stay.  
   
"We'll figure it out later. Put you on a, on a stipend," Lucretia said. Barry had all but floated away by then, his grin pointed back in Taako's direction.  
   
"I can't believe I lost," he was saying loudly, a hand in Taako's hair to ruffle it like the sniper was that much younger than him. "It's because you really snipe people! I've only ever used a pistol!"  
   
Taako sighed in a self-satisfied way and tilted his head back to look up at Barry, who just adjusted his grip on Taako's hair to compensate. Lup felt a fission of jealousy at the casual contact but she pushed it away. She had no control over who was interested in him or vice versa, no matter how much she wanted to chase them off with a sawed off shotgun. "I'm just that good, Barry. Maybe I can give you some tips and tricks."  
   
Barry grumbled and huffed under his breath. "Whatever," he mumbled back. Lucretia put something down on the planning table, and then made her way back to the couch.  
   
"Not to break up the fun," Lup said from behind Lucretia, but she didn't have to be the bad guy after all. Taako was already standing and removing Barry's hand from his head, patting his back and saying something that Lup couldn't quite pick up into his ear.  
   
"Yeah. Yes," Barry replied. He pulled away and went almost instantly shy again, twisting his hands together and shuffling over to Lucretia. "Have a good night."  
   
"Sleep tight and all that." Lucretia switched the input on her television until the cable box came up, and put her feet up on the coffee table. "Meet us back here Friday at midnight."  
   
Taako raised the hood of his jacket over his head. "Thanks for letting me borrow your Xbox, Lucretia." Lup opened the front door then, thankful they had gotten into the safe house before the rain started and still had their shoes on. Unfortunately they didn't have umbrellas, so Lup pulled the door closed and practically sprinted with Taako to the busy main road.  
   
She stuck her hand up for a cab and one pulled over within seconds. "In, in," she told Taako, pushing him into the car first. "I could sleep for a fucking week."  
   
Taako hummed in agreement. "It's nice to know that we have a job, though. Together." He pulled his hood back and used the heels of his hands to rub the cold in his cheeks away. "A quick one, with enough money to pay rent for… Jesus Christ, for-fucking-ever."  
   
Lup barked a laugh. "I guess, Taako." She pressed their thighs together without minding the absolute soaked state of both of them. They would definitely have to bundle up to not get sick--the childishness of it all would have affected her more if Taako's warmth wasn't keeping her sleepy. "When we get home I want some fucking Easy Mac." Now it was Taako's turn to laugh, his deep brown eyes bright and amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone was so different five years ago, right? i did enjoy writing barry and taako actually being friends
> 
> as always, feel free to ask any questions if somethings unclear. ill give as much of an answer as i can without spoiling you


End file.
